Chipotle Inspired Sofritas Burrito Bowls (Vegan+GF)

I’m feeling some serious taco Tuesday vibes today, what do you think?

Wow, it feels like it’s been ages since I’ve added a fresh recipe to the blog. Oh yeah, it has! This whole deal with moving a website has been way more than I bargained for if I’m being honest. I’m happy to say that I’m nearly done sorting everything out but I was just dying to share a recipe today. I mean, I haven’t added a new one all year!

These bowls are a nod to the popular restaurant chain’s menu item, sofritas. I’d never actually tried this, much less made it, until this past Summer. My cousin came to visit and asked if I’d ever made it before and you guys know I’m a sucker for trying things I’ve never tried before. Anyway, I feel like she deserves the credit for this very belated recipe showing up today.

The rest of the bowls are pretty self-explanatory. I went very simple with everything except for the rice and the sofritas. If you’re making this for your family you can obviously change up what you put in your bowls. You can also skip making the Spanish rice and simply serve plain steamed rice if you like. Using this all as filling for tacos and burritos is also an option. Oh, or make loaded nachos!

Now let’s talk a bit about the sofritas. For anyone who’s unfamiliar with Chipotle, you may be wondering what it even is. Well it’s basically taco seasoned tofu and it’s surprisingly delish. I honestly don’t use tofu very often but it’s been growing on me recently. As for the cooking method, you start by “frying” the tofu. I know it’s typically done with oil but I’ve left it as optional in the recipe.

One of my New Year’s resolutions has been to cook without oil as much as possible. I feel like it can be an unnecessarily controversial subject whether oil is healthy or not but personally I just don’t see the need for it in a dish like this. If you use a good non-stick pan it’s so easy to cook without it. For those of you asking, this is the one I’m currently using. I’ve honestly always cooked this way but ever since I began writing recipes of my own I always felt the need to include it in my recipes because that’s what everyone else does. That’s another goal of mine this year, to not do something just because I feel pressure to. If you’d like to use oil that’s totally fine, by the way. This recipe is perfect for taking and adapting to fit what you enjoy.

Print

Chipotle Inspired Sofritas Burrito Bowls (Vegan+GF)

Get your Mexican food fix tonight with these delicious and filling burrito bowls with all the flavors!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 6 -8 servings

Ingredients

Sofritas Tofu:

• 1 15 ounce block extra firm tofu
• 1 large green bell pepper seeded and diced
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1 jalapeno seeded and diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup tomato salsa
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon coconut sugar or maple syrup

Spanish Rice:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 cups long-grain white or brown rice
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 can diced tomatoes and green chiles
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt

Bowls:

• 2/3 cup black beans + 2/3 cup whole kernal corn warmed
• 1 can refried beans warmed
• 2 cups iceberg or mixed greens lettuce shredded

Optional Toppings:

• tomato salsa
• guacamole

Instructions

Spanish Rice:

1. Combine onion and garlic in a large skillet with about 1/4 cup water and saute over medium high heat for 3 to 4 minutes until softened and browned. Pour in remaining ingredients, reduce heat to low, and cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 25 to 35 minutes until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. If the liquid is absorbed before the rice is tender add a bit of water to the pan.

Sofritas Tofu:

1. In a non-stick skillet, fry the tofu slices for about 2-3 minutes until browned. (If you want you can add oil but I find if I use a good pan it's not necessary). Remove from pan and place in a separate dish to cool for a moment.
2. Add the peppers, onion, garlic, and jalapeno pepper to the pan and saute with a bit of water until softened (again, oil is optional). Chop the tofu slices into small bits and add to the pan along with the salsa, tomato paste, 1/2 cup water, and seasonings. Add a bit more water as needed until the mixture is evenly mixed. Simmer for about 10 minutes until fully heated through and the liquid is absorbed.

Bowls:

1. Fill your bowls with desired amounts of sofritas, rice, bean/corn mixture, refried beans, lettuce, salsa, and guacamole. Enjoy!